A Richmond police officer was released from a hospital Friday, a day after being shot while conducting a welfare check at a home on the city’s east side.
Officer Justin Church was wounded about 6:40 p.m. Thursday while assisting a member of the Contra Costa County behavioral health crisis response team check on a person at a home in the 2200 block of Key Boulevard.
Officers were met with gunfire almost immediately when they got to the home just north of El Cerrito, according to police. A patrol vehicle carrying a second officer was also struck by several rounds, police said.
The shooting led to an hours-long standoff with Jasmine Robinson, 39, who allegedly fired several shots “indiscriminately from within the home,” some of which also hit a neighbor’s house, police said.
“Given the number of rounds fired, this incident could have ended with many additional injuries or several losses of life,” Richmond Police Chief Timothy Simmons said.
After Church was shot, the Richmond Police Department SWAT Team responded, with assistance from the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office, the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department and the El Cerrito Police Department.
The RPD Crisis Negotiations Team was able to contact Robinson in an attempt to talk her out of the house, but officers also fired tear gas into the residence.
Robinson eventually came out and was arrested. She was accused of attempted murder, assault with an assault weapon on a person and kidnapping, police said. Bond was set at $500,000, according to police.
“We are grateful that our officer has been released from the hospital and, most importantly, did not suffer life-threatening injuries,” the police said in an unsigned statement.
